Walking with God
by Peter Brokaar
One of my most loved Bible verses is one that brought me back to a whole-hearted surrender to the Lord, after years of my wholesale rebellion and rejection of Christ. During a moment of intense personal struggle, somewhere inside, I remembered that it said in the Bible that someone had ‘walked with God’. From the depths of my heart I realised that this was my heart’s desire - to walk with God in a place of safety and beauty. It was still a while, however, before I started to realise that this unbelievable blessing could come true for me.
Adam and Eve might have walked with God in the garden, but they were by no means the only ones. Of Enoch it simply said: ‘He walked with God’ (Genesis 5:24). Jacob knew that his ancestors too, had this intimate walk with the living God. When he prayed blessing on his son Joseph (Genesis 48:15) he said, ‘God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my life long to this day …’
God expressed His personal desire and told Israel that walking with God was not a special privilege for the few, but that He wanted this to be the everyday experience of His children. Leviticus 26:12 promises, ‘I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people’.
And of course, Jesus, God the Son, walked among us! What an amazing experience for the people of Israel to have the God Himself, clothed in human form, walking, talking, eating and laughing with them.
All these Bible passages stir in me a deep longing for a closer walk with our Creator God. It’s as if my spirit from deep within cries out, “If my Father wants to walk with me, then I want to walk with Him!”
The days of unspoilt perfection in the garden of Eden are behind us, and Jesus was seen leaving earth and ascending into heaven. But, He sent us His Holy Spirit to be with us. I believe that He didn’t only send His Spirit to give us spiritual gifts (though, thank God for the gifts!) or to have spiritual experiences (thank God for those as well). I believe that He sent His Spirit because He longs to walk with us, and He wants us to walk with Him, in true fellowship, in intimate closeness.
May I encourage you today to make it your heart’s desire to set it as your highest goal, to fulfil that which is on God’s own heart, that you’ll have that close, intimate and holy walk with Him. And when all is said and done, wouldn’t it be our greatest reward that our life could be summarised like that of Enoch, “He, or she, walked with God?”
Prayer: Father in heaven, thank You that, through Your grace, it’s possible for me to walk with You. What an amazing privilege! Turn my heart so that, more than anything this world has to offer, I’ll want the highest reward, fellowship with You during the days of my journey on earth. Amen.
Peter Brokaar is Director of Ellel Ministries Scotland and has been there together with his wife Liz since 2005. They have 3 kids, all born in Scotland! In his free time he likes reading, cooking, running and surfing. Being at Ellel Scotland has given him the privilege of getting to know God deeper and sharing that joy with many others.
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